Good Times in the Mile-High City

As Boston Daily drifted off to sleep, visions of Jonathan Papelbon dancing in our heads, we were surprised to get a call from a friend in Tennessee.

“My Dad has tickets for Game 5. If you can find a way to get there, you can have them.”

Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to drive to Denver, nor do we have the princely sums for airfare. But we decided to research what else we could do in Colorado’s capital in case a reader kindly donates roundtrip airfare. (Hint.)

In the absence of that, here’s what you might do if you’re on your way west.

First, we suggest taking advantage of Denver’s beer industry. The state is best known for the Coors Brewing Company, which offers a 45-minute tour that takes you from the earliest stages of beer production to a lounge where you can sip the final product.

Colorado’s dirty secret is that its rocky mountain streams also help Budweiser brew its beer in Fort Collins, an hour north of Denver. While we’d normally skip the Bud tour, the idea of seeing the “Clydesdale Hamlet” is pretty enticing. If you like microbrews, Denver has plenty of those as well.

After all that beer, it’s time to rehydrate. Celestial Seasonings offers tours of its Boulder factory, complete with samples. There’s also something called “the Mint Room” that sounds like it violates the Geneva Convention.

To build up strength, some pub grub is always a fine option. While Boston’s sports bars seem limitless, the Denver Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau lists only four venues. Somehow a city as sports-crazed as Boston doesn’t have an ESPN Zone, but Denver does. The sports bar on a Giambi-dose of steroids features 100 televisions and arcade games. Just remember to be a good visitor and not taunt the Rockies fans when you beat them at Skee-Ball.

Denver’s answer to the Cask’n’Flagon is the Sports Column. Voted one of the best sports bars in America by Sports Illustrated, the watering hole is across the street from Coors Field. If you decide to hang around for Monday’s Broncos-Packers game, the bar has a free shuttle to Mile High Stadium.

Of course, after a weekend of pigging out and sampling beer, we might prefer to take a hike. Get Out Colorado takes hikers of all experience levels on guided walks of Denver’s beautiful landscape, and even provides the water and snacks.

Come on, readers. Get us to Colorado so we can join you in representing the team we all love. And we really want to see those Clydesdales.